Part I · Heart Healthy
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: about 25 mins (everything cooks at once) Yield: about 8 cups, loosely scooped (4 two-cup servings)
A pantry bowl of baked tilapia, jasmine rice, soft scrambled eggs and sweet potato, all folded together. It is plain on purpose: filling, gentle, and safe to share with a dog. Season your own bowl at the table.
Made October 2026 on a Saturday when the grocery order went in late, from what was in the kitchen and a carton of eggs a friend brought over. The name is for Merlyn, the Labrador who worked out there was fish in it and begged for a second helping, and for the monks’ rice bowls of a Bangkok childhood. Its nearest classic cousin is kedgeree, the British-Indian dish of flaked fish, rice and eggs.
Why It Works
- Three proteins that need no sauce: Flaked fish and soft eggs coat the rice and keep each spoonful moist, so the bowl holds together without gravy or cheese.
- Tilapia: It is mild, lean and among the lowest-mercury fish sold, so it suits a bowl eaten often.
- Protein and fat slow the rice: Jasmine rice digests fast on its own. Mixed with fish, eggs and olive oil it reaches the blood more slowly than a plain bowl of rice would.
- Sweet potato: Soft, sweet chunks bring fibre, potassium and a great deal of vitamin A.
- Unseasoned in the pot: With no salt, onion or garlic, the pot stays dog-friendly. Everyone seasons their own bowl.
Ingredients
The Fish:
- Tilapia Fillets: 12 oz
- Olive Oil: a light brush for the pan
The Rice:
- Jasmine Rice: 1 cup, dry
- Water: 1¼ cups
The Eggs:
- Eggs: 8 large
- Olive Oil: 2 Tbsp
The Side:
- Sweet Potatoes: 3 small (about 10 oz)
At the Table (optional, for people only):
- Smoked paprika, black pepper, a squeeze of lemon, or a pinch of salt
Execution Protocol
Phase 1: The Sweet Potatoes
- Scrub the 3 small sweet potatoes. Either bake them whole at 400°F for 40–50 minutes, until soft when squeezed, or peel, cut into 1-inch cubes and boil for 10–12 minutes, until tender.
- Cut or break them into bite-sized pieces.
Phase 2: The Fish and the Rice
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Lay the tilapia (12 oz) on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 15–20 minutes, until it flakes easily and reaches 145°F.
- Meanwhile, rinse the jasmine rice (1 cup), then bring it to a boil with the water (1¼ cups). Cover tightly, turn the heat to low and cook 12 minutes without lifting the lid. Take it off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Phase 3: The Eggs
- Beat the 8 eggs.
- Warm the olive oil (2 Tbsp) in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and stir slowly until just set and still soft, about 3–4 minutes.
Phase 4: The Fold
- Flake the tilapia into a large bowl, checking for pin bones.
- Add the rice, the scrambled eggs and the sweet potato, and fold everything together gently.
- Serve about 2 cups per person, and season your own bowl at the table.
Variations
- Half barley: Use ½ cup jasmine rice and ½ cup quick barley, cooked separately (barley takes about 12 minutes, like the Hordearius Bowl’s). Barley’s soluble fibre makes the bowl noticeably gentler on blood sugar.
- Lighter on the eggs: For an LDL-lowering week, use 4 whole eggs plus 6 egg whites instead of 8 whole eggs. That cuts the bowl’s saturated fat by about a third and its cholesterol by nearly half, with the same volume.
- Kedgeree-style (your bowl only): Warm ½ tsp curry powder and ¼ tsp turmeric in 1 tsp olive oil for 30 seconds, and stir it through your portion with a squeeze of lemon and some chopped parsley. Keep the dog’s portion plain.
- Other fish: Cod, haddock or flounder (12 oz) work the same way. Canned tuna works too but carries far more mercury, so keep it occasional.
Meal Profile
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient in the amounts above (the whole pot), then divided by about 8 cups. One serving is 2 cups. A value marked † is partial: at least one ingredient has no published value for it, so the true figure is somewhat higher.
The basics
| Whole pot | Per cup | Per 2-cup serving | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2,070 kcal | 259 kcal | 518 kcal |
| Protein | 136 g | 17 g | 34 g |
| Fat, total | 72.2 g | 9.0 g | 18.0 g |
| Saturated | 18.6 g | 2.3 g | 4.7 g |
| Monounsaturated | 36.4 g | 4.6 g | 9.1 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 12.1 g | 1.5 g | 3.0 g |
| Carbohydrate, total | 211 g | 26 g | 53 g |
| Fiber | 11.4 g | 1.4 g | 2.9 g |
| Sugars | 14.2 g | 1.8 g | 3.6 g |
| Cholesterol | 1,658 mg | 207 mg | 414 mg |
| Sodium | 920 mg | 115 mg | 230 mg |
| Potassium | 2,803 mg | 350 mg | 701 mg |
| Available carbohydrate (total minus fiber) | 200 g | 25 g | 50 g |
Ratios and shares
- Sodium : potassium: 0.33 (below 1 favours blood pressure; the WHO goal is near 0.6).
- Saturated fat share of energy: 8.1% (guideline: under 10%).
- Protein density: 6.6 g of protein per 100 kcal.
- Omega-3, per serving: 312 mg in total, including EPA + DHA 135 mg (DPA 44 mg, ALA 131 mg). Omega-6 : omega-3 ratio 8.5 : 1.
Fats by type (per serving)
| Fatty acid | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 16:0 palmitic (saturated) | 3,441 mg |
| 18:0 stearic (saturated) | 1,040 mg |
| 18:1 oleic (monounsaturated) | 8,638 mg |
| 18:2 linoleic, LA (omega-6) | 2,402 mg |
| 20:4 arachidonic, AA (omega-6) | 208 mg |
| 18:3 alpha-linolenic, ALA (omega-3) | 131 mg |
| 20:5 EPA (omega-3) | 4 mg |
| 22:5 DPA (omega-3) | 44 mg |
| 22:6 DHA (omega-3) | 131 mg |
Essential amino acids (per serving, against the daily need of a 74 kg / 163 lb adult)
| Amino acid | Per serving | Daily need | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Histidine | 0.81 g | 0.74 g | 110% |
| Isoleucine | 1.65 g | 1.48 g | 111% |
| Leucine | 2.79 g | 2.88 g | 97% |
| Lysine | 2.62 g | 2.21 g | 118% |
| Methionine + cysteine | 1.53 g | 1.11 g | 138% |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 2.82 g | 1.84 g | 153% |
| Threonine | 1.54 g | 1.11 g | 139% |
| Tryptophan | 0.41 g | 0.30 g | 138% |
| Valine | 1.95 g | 1.92 g | 102% |
Vitamins and minerals (per serving)
Daily references are the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes for an adult man (31-50).
| Nutrient | Per serving | Daily reference | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 692 µg | 900 µg | 77% |
| Vitamin D, total | 4.6 µg | 15 µg | 31% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 2.60 mg | 15 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) | 6.9 µg | 120 µg | 6% |
| B1 thiamin | 0.17 mg | 1.2 mg | 14% |
| B2 riboflavin | 0.58 mg | 1.3 mg | 45% |
| B3 niacin | 4.55 mg | 16 mg | 28% |
| B5 pantothenic acid | 3.02 mg | 5 mg | 60% |
| B6 | 0.54 mg | 1.3 mg | 42% |
| B9 folate, total (DFE) | 79.3 µg | 400 µg | 20% |
| B12, total | 2.2 µg | 2.4 µg | 93% |
| Vitamin C | 1.80 mg | 90 mg | 2% |
| Choline (vitamin-like) | 342 mg | 550 mg | 62% |
| Calcium | 100 mg | 1,000 mg | 10% |
| Magnesium | 65.3 mg | 420 mg | 16% |
| Sodium | 230 mg | 2,300 mg (limit) | 10% |
| Potassium | 701 mg | 3,400 mg | 21% |
| Phosphorus | 431 mg | 700 mg | 62% |
| Iron, total | 3.09 mg | 8 mg | 39% |
| Zinc | 2.30 mg | 11 mg | 21% |
| Copper | 0.35 mg | 0.9 mg | 39% |
| Manganese | 0.76 mg | 2.3 mg | 33% |
| Selenium | 73.7 µg | 55 µg | 134% |
Phytonutrients (per serving)
- Lutein + zeaxanthin: 503 µg
- Beta-carotene: 6,382 µg
- Phytosterols: 24 mg †
- Polyphenols: 4 mg GAE †
Glycemic impact (estimate)
Jasmine rice is high-GI on its own (around 70-90). Eggs, fish and oil in the same bite slow it down, and sweet potato’s GI depends on cooking (boiled lower, baked higher), so this is an estimate for the mixed bowl. With about 50 g of available carbohydrate per serving, the glycemic load works out to roughly 27–35 (low is 10 or under, high is 20 or over).
Watch-outs
- Purines (total): at least 158 mg per serving; not yet researched for Jasmine rice (white long-grain proxy), Egg, whole, Olive oil, Sweet potato. Relevant to uric acid and gout; a low-purine diet keeps to roughly 400 mg a day.
- Mercury: about 1.1 µg per serving, using FDA average levels for each fish. The EPA reference dose for a 74 kg adult is about 7.4 µg a day (0.1 µg per kg), comfortably within it. The reference dose is a lifetime daily level with a large safety margin built in, not a danger line, but it is the right yardstick for fish eaten every day.
- Most of the saturated fat and cholesterol comes from the eggs (the bowl has about 4.7 g and 414 mg per serving). For an LDL-lowering week, see the lighter-on-the-eggs variation.
Dog check
Safe for a dog to share, in normal portions. Fine in moderation: Olive oil.
Not counted: any salt, pepper or paprika added at the table. Values are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), with mercury from FDA monitoring data; see the Master Nutrition & Food Facts workbook for every ingredient.
Notes
- For a dog: the plain pot, before any table seasoning, is dog-friendly: no salt, onion or garlic. Rich food is best introduced slowly, and a cup of this is roughly 260 kcal, so take that off the day’s other food.
- Cool the rice fast. Spread leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within an hour; rice can carry Bacillus cereus. Chilled and reheated rice also forms a little resistant starch, which digests more slowly.
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat until steaming throughout.
Recipe by Tony Seliquini, October 2026. Named by Claude, at his invitation.
Written October 2026 · part of the Recipes collection.